2007 3(26) - UCWLC

Ukraine-Poland relations are very good today. Poland apologizedfor its role in Akcija Wisla recognizing that it was its Soviet puppetregime that was kowtowing to Moscow’s instructions. Today, Polandknows Ukraine’s importance as a buffer to Russia’s imperialisticmind-set. Here is Poland’s position on the Great Famine.Poland’s parliament condemnsthe Great Famine of Ukraine 1932-33WARSAW (AP) — Polish lawmakersunanimously adopted aresolution which said that it is“… joining in pain with relativesof the victims of the Great Faminein Ukraine, which cost the livesof millions of residents of the Ukrainiancountryside from 1932-33,condemns the totalitarian regimeresponsible for the genocide.”The famine, orchestrated bySoviet dictator Josef Stalin, killed10 million Ukrainians, almostone-third of Ukraine’s populationat the time.The Polish resolution comes aweek after the parliament in Kyivadopted a bill recognizing thefamine as genocide, a move seenas a victory for Ukraine’s“ Необхідно, щобкінофільми проГолодомор показувалине серед ночі, а колилюди можуть їхдивитися”— Левко Лук’яненкоpro-Western President ViktorYushchenko.Moscow strongly opposescalling the famine a genocide,contending it didn’t specificallytarget Ukrainians. Genocide isdefined as the deliberate and systematicdestruction of a racial,political or cultural group. It is acrime under international law.CALL TO ACTION!Condemnations in the parliamentsof the free world, likethat in Poland and the USA,are a good start; however,more needs to be done. In orderfor the Great Famine toobtain the status of a genocide—likethe Jewish genocideof WWII—it must be designatedas such by the UnitedNations. This is a long anddifficult process as the majorityof the member countriesmust support the resolution. Agood start was done this yearby the government of Ukrainewhich asked for this designationfor the murdered Ukrainiansof the Famine.Ukraine needs help. Eachcountry where freedom-lovingpeople reside—Canada, ofcourse—must petition theirgovernments to support such aresolution in the UN. Despitethe fact that four MPs of Ukrainiandescent raised the issuein our parliament recently,Canada’s House of Commonshas NOT passed any such legislationand a Senate resolutiondoes not have the force oflaw which means that in Canadawe have done less to recognizethe Famine than hasbeen done in Poland.Here is a job for our Leagueand our community: to ensurethe recognition of the GreatFamine as a genocide by theUnited Nations by engaging ourchurches, organizations andthe Ukrainian Canadian Congress:evil must be condemnedor it will rise again. This wasthe resolution of the UkrainianWorld Congress some ten yearsago. The issue has not movedforward. How long a wait islong enough for this horror tobe kept out of sight?You decide at your meetingsand at your Congresses!— EditorWhat do you know about thearrests of 1.7 million peopleand the execution of some700,000 in 1937? Go tohttp://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/domestic/story/2007/08/070803_yusch_solovky_oh.shtml16 місяців смертiПрезидент України ВікторЮщенко від імені Українськоїдержави направивзвернення вшануванняпам’яті жертв Великоготерору 1937-1938 років. Вході цих злочинних операційза неповні 16 місяцівбуло заарештовано за політичнимизвинуваченнями— переважно вигаданими— близько 1.7 млн.осіб; більш як 700 тисяч зних страчено. Масові розстрілипочалися з 5 серпня1937 р. Тому в 2007 роціМіжнародний День Пам’ятів Сандормосі відзначатиметьсяяк день пам’ятіжертв «Великого терору».36 Íàøà Äîðîãà îñiíü/2007